Do you have an online presskit I can review?
Are you guys any good?
Event planners who have written unbiased reviews of our performances seem to think so.
What makes you guys so damn good and so highly sought after for corporate events?
Our "customer-first" approach. You get what you want: great musicians, a band that pays attention to detail, musicians with years of experience playing corporate events, a professional, worry-free experience, and a band who will keep people entertained all evening. We deliver for you.
What factors affect pricing?
Driving distance
Type of event
Request to play on a Holiday weekend
Day of the week
Request to play in July or October
Availability
Pricing includes all our expenses except hotel rooms if needed because of your location. We are happy to travel if we can make it work. Generally, our pricing starts with our going rate, or what we've recently charged others for the same service. If you're about 2-3 hours away, probably no hotel rooms needed.
What kind of music do you play?
We are a variety/dance/cover band playing primarily classic rock and country hits with sprinkles of variety mixed in. Think a mix of danceable 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s 90s, then throw in a modern era country tune or 2, some country standards, a little swing, maybe a Sinatra tune, and perhaps a polka if requested.
We want to be clear: we don't play rap, hip-hop or top 40. Those types of tunes can be easily played during our breaks through our IPOD and PA system.
How far will you guys travel?
Anything reasonable, or, if you feel like paying through the nose, we'll drive most anywhere. The band members live in Madison, Janesville and Marshfield. Please ask us if we'll travel to your location. If it works for us, we'll do it!
How can I find your availability to play my event?
Call or email. Check out the gigs link. We generally only book 1 (one) gig per month and no summer holidays by personal choice but with exceptions. ASK!
Do you play for wedding dances and corporate events?
Is the bear in the woods Catholic? Corporate gigs are the band's staple. Click "Corporate" links on our home page for more information.
Maybe all you need for your corporate event is a live Jazz Combo - a live jazz combo that also plays some dance music and can adapt to the needs of your guests or clients? Add our live Jazz Combo, or book it outright as it's own group - a classy, impressive "wow-factor" for your guests. And if you ask real purdy-like, we might just through it in for free, now, you hear?
What instruments do you play?
Our primary 6pc configuration is bass, drums, guitar, vocalist, keyboards, and saxophone. Throw in fiddle, banjo, accordion and a vast, seemingly endless array of auxiliary percussion featuring the oft-forgotten, and under-appreciated "egg" for interest. The 6 piece group is extremely versatile to fit your needs and is our preferred and most booked configuration. But we can configure to as few as 3 based on your budget and/or needs. Ask!!
How loud do you guys play?
It's your event. You're the boss. You call the shots. We're rarely told to "turn down". There have been times we have been decibel-restricted because of the venue but even then, we've never had a volume issue. We'd rather be told to "Turn Up". We realize that sometimes you just want to sit, listen and talk to your friends or reminisce with your long lost Uncle Wilhelm.
Emcee Services?
Yes. We make announcements, what ever is needed or requested.
Does the band need to be fed and do they need free drinks all night?
No. But even your discarded table scraps, leftovers or floor droppings are appreciated. For most events we arrive early afternoon about 2pm because we want to be entirely set-up and sound-checked before the first guest arrives to the dance hall. We feel this is important so as not to disturb your guests or the flow of the event, especially when guests start arriving to the venue. If the venue is not close to a place we can grab a bite before we play, providing us some necessary sustenance or even covering all or part of the cost of us ordering from the venue's restaurant or bar makes it easier for us so we don't have to leave the venue and then we can be available to you if something you need comes up. This allows us to be available for anything like adjusting the microphone for dinner speeches, toasts, background music, etc. It's always better for us to BE THERE than NOT be there.
What do you need for set-up and staging? PLEASE READ - THIS INFORMATION IS CRITICAL.
We provide our own sound and lighting system. You are welcome to use our wireless microphone system for announcements, speeches, etc - BUT PLEASE ASK IN ADVANCE. Again, here is another reason you may want us at the venue and not 2 miles down the road grabbing a bite to eat - rarely does the venue have someone available to adjust or monitor the volume of their in-house system of microphones during speeches, toasts, announcements, etc to control feedback and the like. WE DO though. Ask!!
An elevated stage about 15'x13' or risers is preferred. NOT REQUIRED.
We need 2 hours to set up and 60-90 minutes to tear down. For wedding and corporate dances, we MUST BE ABLE TO ARRIVE EARLY ENOUGH TO BE FULLY SET UP BEFORE THE FIRST GUEST ARRIVES TO THE DANCE HALL - please arrange with your venue or event coordinator to let us in early for set up or have the venue or event coordinator call me to make arrangements You don't want us setting up right before the dance starts, or right after dinner, trying to set up and sound check while everyone is visiting, eating, socializing and cocktailizing.
We need shelter if playing outside. Please allow extra time between the cocktail hour and the start of the dance if you've also booked our Jazz Combo for the cocktail hour and are asking the jazz combo to set up and play in a different room or in a different area from the full 6 piece dance band - in that case we need tear down time and transition time between the jazz combo performing during the cocktail hour and the full band starting the dance - it's not a big deal but we do need a bit of time there. Given your space, we'll try and make most anything work for you.
Good clean power is needed. We normally need 2 separate 20 amp circuits to be safe. We once played for a city festival and every time the Ferris wheel started up, our sound cut out. True story. Please give thoughtful consideration to the area in which the full band and the jazz combo is playing.
How do you guys Dress for the Gig?
We are in suit-n-tie - unless you tell us it's a less casual affair. Got a themed event? We can dress to your theme. And we'll have fun with it.
What about COVID-19?
All band members are vaccinated against COVID-19. We're happy to comply with whatever precautions you feel necessary, or are required by your venue.
Do you require a contract?
Yes. Our one-page contract protects both of us so there is no misunderstanding as to the date, time and place, cost, payment terms, details and any other additional terms. We generally book 12+ months in advance. As such, written Contracts are essential.
Will you play music during your breaks?
Yes. We'll play songs (ours or yours) through our PA system through an IPOD on the breaks so the music doesn't stop. Those are good times for rap, hip-hop or top 40 selections you want. We can play light music during dinner on the IPOD as well if requested.
Can we "pick and choose" what songs we want the band to play during the dance from your songlist?
Yes. We are certainly willing to have you pick certain songs you want to hear and even certain songs you do not want to hear. Please leave to us, however, the discretion when to play them and to "flow" the evening for you musically. Please be aware we have run into issues when told what to play and what not to play. an no-win situation and our lead singer will have a coronary right then and there trying to decide what to do. You wouldn't want that now, would you.
Will you take requests during the evening?
Yes. However, unless asked ahead of time, please don't get upset if we can't play "Whitney Houston" or "Lady Gaga" or "Beyonce". If we can't play it, we're happy to play those on breaks, just tell us. Given the high level of musicianship of the band, we might try and wing it if it's a request we haven't done before but think we can fake it - 9 times out of 10, it turns out pretty well.
How long do you play/How many breaks do you take?
We play 45min-1 hour for the cocktail hour with our jazz combo and 4 hours for the full band. We will not take any breaks for the cocktail hour music provided by the jazz combo. The full band will play 3 sets of music and take two short 15min breaks in the 4 hours. During breaks, we'll have the IPOD music playing. We can play a bit longer for an additional fee, generally $50 per musician for every extra 30 min of music.
Can I come hear you before deciding to book you for our event?
Since we play mostly private events, I will always need to get permission to make sure it's OK. Some will want you to remain outside the dance hall to listen, others may say it's OK to step inside the dance hall to listen. But it's their call and in most instances they don't mind one bit. If we get permission for you to attend to listen, whether inside or outside the dance hall, please dress appropriately - I'm not saying suits and evening gowns, but I'm not saying jeans and Metallica t-shirts either.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, or personal check made out to Robert Lightfoot ONLY. If you are a corporate client, we accept your corporate checks made out to Robert Lightfoot or made out to each individual band member, and paid anytime before or during the day of the event, BUT NO LATER THAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENT. PLEASE HAND THE CHECK(S) TO ROBERT LIGHTFOOT. WE CANNOT ACCEPT A CHECK MADE PAYABLE TO WHOZ PLAYING?
Where can I find the most complete list of songs you play?
The best place is here which is kept pretty current.
Do I need to tip the band?
No, but if the performance or overall experience exceeded your expectations, a tip is always appreciated.
Can you provide special event music?
Sure!! Please ask. We can provide instrumental music, with vocals if requested, with a guitar and/or violin and/or piano player at your option. Any combination of vocalist, guitar, violin, piano and normally charged at $75 per musician extra. Most common for the ceremony is violin and guitar. Ceremony music typically includes about 10 minutes of background music as people are seated for the wedding, then a processional, then a song during the ceremony if requested like for a candle or sand ceremony, then a recessional. If you need special event music at your corporate event like the national anthem, also please ask.
How do we work out all the details with you?
About a month or so before your event I'll ask if you want to meet in person for a planning meeting or if you want to simply have a telephone or ZOOM call to go over everything. This is your chance to customize everything exactly how you want it. Once we have this conversation, leave the rest, including the worrying, to us!
